A little over 15 years ago, I went with my university's provost to visit the higher education program director at a major foundation. The two had a lively exchange and we were invited to submit a proposal that was the brainchild of a creative young assistant professor of engineering. We got the grant, providing several years of support for a wonderfully innovative curriculum that in turn seeded a process that would culminate in revised pre-college teaching standards throughout Massachusetts.
After the grant ended, I took the faculty member to the foundation to report on the extraordinary success and impact of the project-the sort of thing foundations say they love to hear. The program ...